There are so many things that make Draft Day great. The long faces on the gurus. The phone calls that never come. The Tweeters that don't Tweet. The intrigue. The lies. The panic and knee jerk. The stupidity. The intelligence. The unknown. The unpredictability of A.J. Smith – matched only by his predictability.

With his only first-day pick, the Chargers' general manager yesterday drafted untested Northern Illinois outside linebacker Larry English 16th overall. Does this mean Smith is ready to reserve a moving van for tested Shawne Merriman, who just so happens to be the best outside linebacker in the NFL?

We're making an informed guess, which is our right. Nobody's saying this was the reason why Smith went the direction he did, drafting a pass rusher in the first round. And nobody can say what's going to happen for certain, because the dura mater covering Smith's brain is too stubborn to penetrate.

But the handwriting is the size of Texas. Merriman, who played only in last year's season opener before opting for knee surgery, is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent come February. Maybe we should start trying to remember him the way he was.

“I wouldn't read that into it,” coach Norv Turner was saying after the team announced it had selected English.

So we will.

Now, if Merriman comes back and has a huge sack year, it will be easy for the team to put a franchise tag on him for 2010, as it did with back Darren Sproles this offseason. And, if 2010 becomes an uncapped year, then Merriman can't become a free agent until after that season, according to the collective bargaining agreement, because he won't have six full years of service.

But it's very easy to believe – know? – the front office isn't overly thrilled with Merriman, the matinee idol. For one, they believe he screwed the team last year when he didn't have his surgery earlier, and if you think about it, he should have (although it's his body).

If healthy – and all signs are he is – Merriman's going to demand Ponzi scheme money, and his agent is Tom Condon, Smith's Professor Moriarty. But, most important, there's growing concern among Chargerville's elected officials that Merriman, with the interesting and ironic nickname “Lights Out,” has become too attracted to the bright lights and, as Marcellus Wiley before him, has gone Hollywood.

There's genuine fear that Merriman, attracted by glitz and glam, has put his outside interests ahead of football, although there is no hard evidence of it (besides, who likes limelight more than Peyton Manning?). Merriman enjoys being seen in places where it's fashionable to be seen, true, but the All-Pro obviously has worked diligently to get back into playing shape since the surgery.

“I watched him run for about an hour on Friday,” Turner said. “I expect him to come back next year and be as good as he's ever been, maybe even better.”

And, when Shawne Merriman is as good as he's been – let alone even better – he's the most dynamic, most disruptive defender in the game, a monster for whom offenses must prepare. If you don't account for him, he's going to get you.